By Robert Lowell Goller East Aurora didn’t even have an airport in May 1938, so news that the local postmaster was planning an air mail service caught many by surprise. East Aurora Postmaster Wayne Wright led a committee charged with launching the first plane from East Aurora with U.S. mail aboard. The May 19, 1938 flight, from East Aurora to the airport in Cheektowaga, was more symbolic than anything else, part of a nationwide effort to commemorate National Air Mail Week and the 20th anniver...
A pair of requests for solar energy panels has taken a step forward in the Town of Marilla. The Town Board voted 4-1 to declare no environmental problems exist on properties where owners have proposed solar energy panels the night of Thursday, April 10. Property owners on Stolle and Two Rod roads want to install the panels to sell electricity. Councilman Matthew Dolegowski opposed the measure without giving a reason. When asked after the meeting, he declined to answer. ...
The Aurora Starfish Fund is ramping up its fundraising efforts with an expanded committee of Kiwanis, Rotary and Lions club members and a new purpose: connecting with WNY Heroes to help veterans, with a special emphasis on service dogs. Thanks to the Starfish Fund, organized in 2022, ,100 donated by generous folks in our community is now helping young people affected by Vladimir Putin’s ongoing war in Ukraine. It took some effort, but after raising the funds for Ukraine through a raffle with ...
Earlier this month, officials within the East Aurora Union Free School District were informed that student data had been breached. The data included names, addresses and phone numbers of students and guardians. The district uses PowerSchool to collect student information. Messaging to families and guardians said that the system does not retain social security numbers or financial information and passwords were not compromised. PowerSchool is a cloud-based software solutions provider for schoo...
Here's the weather forecast from the National Weather Service in Buffalo. M.L.King Day Snow. The snow could be heavy at times. High near 11. Wind chill values as low as -10. West wind around 16 mph, with gusts as high as 28 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. Total daytime snow accumulation of 1 to 3 inches possible. Tonight Snow. The snow could be heavy at times. Low around 5. Wind chill values as low as -10. West wind 11 to 14 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New snow accumulation of...
M.L.King Day Snow. The snow could be heavy at times. High near 11. Wind chill values as low as -10. West wind around 16 mph, with gusts as high as 28 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. Total daytime snow accumulation of 1 to 3 inches possible. Tonight Snow. The snow could be heavy at times. Low around 5. Wind chill values as low as -10. West wind 11 to 14 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New snow accumulation of 4 to 8 inches possible. Tuesday Snow. The snow could be heavy at times. H...
This audio article podcast is sponsored by H D E electric in Elma. Leah Nolan Torres joined the Jamison Road Volunteer Fire Company in February 2015 at the age of 16 as a junior firefighter. As she nears her 10-year anniversary with the company, she has been elected to serve as the 3rd Assistant Chief. She will be the first female to take on this high of a leadership role in the company’s 84-year history. Torres said that firefighting was something she had grown up always wanting to do....
The East Aurora Village Board has decided to revoke a Special Use Permit for a cannabis dispensary on Main Street. The permit was approved in April 2024 to a Michigan based company called Highwire. The owner of the company, Eric Kennedy, does not have a state license to operate in New York and during the permitting process, he told the board that having municipal approval would assist him in receiving a state license from the Office of Cannabis Management by expediting the process. When the s...
There is a store in the Town of Ma ril la that has a variety of local options like a seasonal farmers market except it’s open seven days a week year round. Erba Ver Day Farms Mercantile is located right on Erba Ver Day Farms on Porterville Road in Ma ril la. The store carries portion-sized beef, pork and chicken that is raised on the farm. The store also carries locally raised rabbits, frozen and ready for the kitchen and there is frozen fish from Pacific Cloud Seafoods. It carries frozen piz...
From columnist Rick Ohler Imagine a bistro called “Whole La tay Love,” that doesn’t serve la tayes, mochas or espressos, just coffee. But coffee with a little something extra that seems to have interesting, if short-lived effects on its drinkers. Then imagine a harried owner, Isla, in hock to lenders, hectored by health inspectors, hiring the scatter-brained barista, Shelley, whose claim to fame is having been fired from every coffee shop in town. Throw in a cast of characters fr...
(This story by Columnist Rick Ohler appeared in the East Aurora Advertiser.) It was, as she had advertised, a “mulching party” at Knox Farm State Park on Saturday, June 22, where a handful of us gathered at the behest of Nancy Smith, the former executive director of the Western New York Land Conservancy and now a community activist with an interest in urban forestry. For a couple of hours in the warmth of late June, we learned how to mulch young basswood and red maple trees by removing a stri...
There is Time to Act Now : Support The Local Journalism Sustainability Act A few short weeks ago, we told you about the newly-formed Empire State Local News Coalition. Neighbor-to-Neighbor News publications are proud to be a member of this fast-growing group of over 150 New York local news outlets that have joined forces to protect local journalism across the state. The work of our coalition has raised awareness of the importance of local journalism as well as the challenges facing the local ...
There is Time to Act Now : Support The Local Journalism Sustainability Act A few short weeks ago, we told you about the newly-formed Empire State Local News Coalition. Neighbor-to-Neighbor News publications are proud to be a member of this fast-growing group of over 150 New York local news outlets that have joined forces to protect local journalism across the state. The work of our coalition has raised awareness of the importance of local journalism as well as the challenges facing the local news industry. (New York has lost half of its newsrooms since 2004!) We are grateful to communities...Article Link
It was always on the list of things to do, but repairing the stone wall at Knox Farm State Park along Seneca Street was difficult to justify. “Finding funding for anything is difficult and it’s easier to find funding for something that can become a revenue source,” Friends of Knox Farm State Park Executive Director Kathleen York said. “The mansion, guest house, stables…we can invest money into those and then use them as venues to raise money.” The rock wall is a different story because it will not make money to reinvest into the park. When York began working with...Article Link
New year, new you. Make a plan to get outdoors. Everyone is encouraged to spend time outdoors this holiday season and celebrate the New Year at state parks, historic sites, wildlife areas, canal trails and public lands across New York on January 1, 2024. The 13th annual First Day Hikes program is offering varied hike options for people at more than 80 locations across the state to enjoy. "New York’s public lands are something to behold,” Governor Kathy Hochul said. “We lead the nation on State public lands, and we house the nation’s oldest state park. As New York State...Article Link
Weather should not be a factor this holiday weekend with above normal temperatures and only scattered showers. So local travel should not be a problem. Remember holiday cheer can turn into holiday tragedy. Use a designated driver or call a ride service to avoid driving under the influence. East Aurora's famous Carolcade is Saturday night on Main Street between Church Street and Olean Street at 7 p.m. Traffic will be re-routed in the area of the event. Anyone parking on Main Street in the 700 block around the time of the carol sing may find they will not be able...Article Link
The familiar numbers are posted everywhere you go. “Emergency, Dial 911.” And you expect, or know from experience, or take for granted that when you need to dial 911, the call will be answered and help will be on its way shortly. In the areas that our newspapers serve, many responding to fires, accidents or medical emergencies will be unpaid, but thoroughly professional. These first responders are volunteers from companies such as the South Wales Fire Company. Last week, I had the privilege of visiting the South Wales fire hall on Rt. 16 with Chief Marty O’Connor, company president Charlene...Article Link
December holiday events in East Aurora most often center around Christmas, with both secular and Christian traditions. Last year, Vidler’s 5 & 10 on Main Street in East Aurora added something new, having a Chanukah celebration for the first time by lighting a Grand Menorah in front of the store. It will happen again this year, and a menorah will be lit at 7 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 10. “We thought it was a lovely event, and are honored that Chabad House in Buffalo has asked us again to be the gathering point for the occasion,” Don Vidler said. The...Article Link
Kick off the holidays in style with a Big Brass Christmas Community Concert and Tree Lighting on Wednesday, Dec. 6 at 5:30 p.m. in front of Absolut Care Aurora Park, 292 Main Street in East Aurora. The Greater East Aurora Chamber of Commerce, Absolut Care Aurora Park and Limelite Music are hosting the village’s first-ever Big Brass Christmas Concert to kick off the holiday season. This is a free, family-friendly event. A 13-piece community band comprised mostly of band students from East Aurora High School and East Aurora Middle School will play holiday favorites as Absolut Care Aurora Park lights...Article Link
It looks like those folks staying around East Aurora for the Thanksgiving holiday should have no real problem with local travel or shopping, though there will be some windy times, making the temperatures feel a bit colder. The East Aurora Advertiser family reminds everyone to drive carefully; do not drive if you've had too much to drink or perhaps just drowsy from the tryptophan from your turkey! Here's the Thanksgiving holiday weather forecast for the East Aurora area as of Tuesday afternoon from the National Weather Service in Buffalo. Wednesday Showers likely, mainly before 11am. Cloudy, with a high near...Article Link